I thought this was quite good. The variety and range is impressive, which is good because I did eventually start to lose interest in each of the tracks (which are quite long). Not an all timer, but not bad either.

Perhaps the defining record for a whole genre and era. Despite its booming sound, it still manages to coax out subtlety in the lyrics. It has its finger pressed on the pulse of the (adolescent) human condition. It is also blessed with rallying singles stitched seamlessly into its fabric. The pacing is excellent, and In The End stands out as an unfathomably good track. A wholly convincing record.

One thing I am on record as loving is an intro track. This album has an intro track for an intro track. Intro-ception. Loved the lead into the big single, it's like they are signposting to the listener that THIS is the single coming up. And clearly it is, Float On is a wonderful track that I haven't heard in years. It's quite folky in places and I liked it, though I could be convinced that this sound did run its course a little and as it carried on it ran slightly out of steam. It's right on the borderline for me between being good and being something I think stands out. On reflection it’s a 6

I didn’t mind this. It’s quite simple and it’s very moody. Doesn’t try to do too much or be something it’s not- it’s unambitious in a likeable way. But it has a ceiling

Joni, welcome back. A warm one at that. Probably more jazzy than I was expecting but that was very much appreciated. I liked the dark, reverent, and Christian lyrics. Has standout tracks without a clear single, but does everything an album should, and does it well.

Our second Colter Wall album for AOTD, and perhaps it’s the genre, but I couldn’t remember anything distinctive about the previous record. Memories and Empties is a charming listen, and I found myself smiling at certain lyrics. “I call my ex-wife, tell her how great my life is, and could she drive me home from town”… “I hope the Lord don’t mind 4/4 time”. I want to reward both the lyrics and jolly sound as highly as I can whilst constrained by the fact the record doesn’t strike me as one I will come back to and that I feel doesn’t stand out all that much on the whole.

This album jumps straight into an abundance of energy with the title track Smooth Talk. I definitely started to notice a formula, which involves repeating the name of the song on loop at the end of the track, presumably for emphasis. I say presumably because as a single it works very effectively, but the issue is that as an album this trick does start to get old fairly quickly. I can’t decide if 5 is too harsh or 6 too generous, so I may come back to this, but it feels like the songs are 6+ but the album is a 5, and I have to rate the album in front of me

Quite an interesting album from a band I can honestly say that I had never heard of before. It’s got that Goo Goo Dolls / early Radiohead feel without quite standing out. The nostalgia vibe is excellent and I can’t fault the music itself. But will I remember or come back to this album in particular? Probably not

This is excellent music to be walking slightly faster than everyone around you in a pedestrianised urban zone or high street. Incredibly coherent sound, as basically every track follows the same formula. Incredibly difficult to settle on a rating for, because every track follows the same formula. It’s pretty emphatic though, the album certainly makes enough of a statement to deserve a solid if unremarkable score. It’s also way too long

Heard this last year. It's better than TPD. I strongly dislike the album cover but probably not enough to deduct a point.